The fourth BlizzCon gaming convention will be held at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California on Friday, August 21 and Saturday, August 22. BlizzCon is a celebration of the global player communities surrounding Blizzard Entertainment's WORLD OF WARCRAFT, STARCRAFT and DIABLO universes. In response to the festival's increasing popularity, this year's event has been expanded from three convention halls to four. BlizzCon will offer a wide variety of activities throughout the two-day event. In addition to serving as a gathering place for Blizzard Entertainment gaming communities, attendees will be able to enjoy: -- Hands-on play time with upcoming Blizzard Entertainment games -- Discussion panels with Blizzard Entertainment developers -- Competitive and casual tournaments for players to showcase their talents -- Community contests with great prizes -- Commemorative merchandise based on Blizzard Entertainment's game universes -- A silent auction Further details, including ticket availability and pricing, will be announced on the official BlizzCon website, www.blizzcon.com, as the event draws closer. To keep pace with the continued growth of WORLD OF WARCRAFT as well as development on other Blizzard Entertainment games, the company is currently hiring for numerous open positions. More information on available career opportunities can be found at www.blizzard.com/jobs.

GDC will bring to Europe its renowned conference content quality and its access to the industry leaders driving innovation in games across the globe, in an effort to engender learning, networking and inspiration. Presenting GDC Europe at gamescom, the leading European consumer and industry show, will allow the conference to address the development community at a central location in the heart of Europe which will command the critical mass of the European games sector. The new arrangement will also enjoy the advantage of a local leadership that truly understands the needs of its market as well as the ability to navigate the region and offer a stage to present the largest professionals-only event in Europe.

More information on GDC Europe will be unveiled soon. In the meantime, please refer to http://www.gdceurope.com.

Anticipation, The 67th World Science Fiction Convention, has added Ralph Bakshi as Artist Guest of Honor. Bakshi's career spans five decades, during which he has created memorable and groundbreaking films including WIZARDS, FIRE AND ICE and the first film adaptation of THE LORD OF THE RINGS. In addition, he has worked on and directed a variety of television shows including ROCKET ROBIN HOOD, SPIDERMAN, THE MIGHTY HEROES and THE NEW ADVENTURES OF MIGHTY MOUSE. The newest guest of honor joins those announced in September 2007: Neil Gaiman, Elisabeth Vonarburg, Tom Doherty, David Hartwell and Taral Wayne. Author Julie Czerneda will be Master of Ceremonies. The 67th World Science Fiction Convention, known as Anticipation, will take place in Montreal, Quebec, Canada from Thursday, August 6 through Monday, August 10, 2009. More information about Anticipation, including current membership rates, is available at www.anticipationsf.ca.

For the past 12 years, The L.A Office's RoadShow has been the "must-attend" event for brands, entertainment marketers and agencies alike. It is the only event created specifically for the entertainment marketing community. Whether you are already using entertainment content to enhance your marketing programs or simply interested in the opportunities, RoadShow provides the perfect blend of in-depth property introductions, industry insights and first-class networking in a forum that has built the reputation of being the Must Attend event of the year. For further information please visit www.laofficelounge.com/RoadShow. Created to take advantage of new technologies and the continued evolution of our business, The Road to RoadShow Webinar Series is the next step for introducing entertainment properties to brand marketers throughout the country. The Series eliminates travel requirements, provides an "On Demand" element to the session and is environmentally friendly! Since each webinar broadcast will be recorded and archived, marketers will be able to view each of the property presentation as scheduled or at their convenience through The Lounge at laoffice.com! Additionally, all of the webinar presenters will be at RoadShow Live to provide the face-to-face interaction that our business requires. Note: The webinar series will be continuously available online after August.

Anime Festival Orlando is excited to announce the exciting conclusion of "The Swords of Orlandia". "Swords of Orlandia" is the story behind AFO's Interactive Convention Experience. The talented writing staff has crafted an original story/game in which attendees can voluntarily participate all weekend long. Throughout the event there are "character cut scenes", side quests and plenty of leveling up that even casual fans of Live Action Role-playing will enjoy. "With the popularity of role playing games such as 'Kingdom Hearts', 'Final Fantasy' and 'World of Warcraft' we've found this theme to be an overwhelming success for the past two years," states event coordinator Karen Trudeau. This year, Anime Festival Orlando has the privilege to announce their guests of honor: Reuben Langdon, Vic Mignogna, Aaron Dismuke, Chris Sabat, Colleen Clinkenbeard, Sonny Strait, Doug Smith, Jason David Frank and Robert Axelrod. "One of things that makes AFO 'Florida's Favorite Anime Convention' is that many of our guests take an active role in our theming and events throughout the weekend," said Karen Trudeau. "We're really excited about the panels and workshops that have been suggested by the guests themselves." New events for Anime Festival Orlando 10 include Whack-a-Nerd for Charity and Wasabi Anime's Cross Play Rally Race. There will also be fan favorite events such as Happy Happy Cosplay Go Go Go and the traditional fare offered at anime conventions. AFO is a multi-day celebration of all things related to Japanese animation and pop culture held at the Wyndham Orlando Resort July 31, August 1 and August 2, 2009. Ticket prices are only $45.00 for an adult 3-day membership badge, $25.00 for a Friday or Sunday Only wristband and $30.00 for a Saturday Only wristband. Growing in attendance nearly 20% each year since its inception in 2000, Anime Festival Orlando has earned the title of "Florida's Favorite Anime Convention" as well as being voted one of the "Top 10 Things To Do In Orlando" by DK Publishing's Travel Guide. For more information about Anime Festival Orlando, please visit http://www.animefestivalorlando.com/

As an event with extensive influence in game developing field, the second China Game Developers Conference (CGDC) will be held in conjunction with world's second largest game show -- ChinaJoy, on July 24-26, 2009 in Shanghai, China. The first CGDC was closed on Aug. 29, 2007, on the conference, 60 experts and over one thousand professionals in game industry exchanged their ideas deeply; more than 50 technology suppliers promoted their technologies and products. The 2nd CGDC will also be supported by related government administration agencies. With the goal of gathering technical elites in game developing, the conference focuses on PC/console game, mobile game, game outsourcing, especially online game; topics covering different fields in game developing, such as game design, programming, arts, audio? management and development tools etc. Attendees will exchange their ideas, sharing their experience and discuss on new technical development trends. The conference's highlights include topics in game development covering multiple fields for discussion and focusing on theory and practice, technical elites and entrepreneurs will be invited to participate. The deadline for submitting this year's CGDC speeches is May 5, 2009. The organizing committee welcomes any form of participation from professionals and experts of the game industry and will do its best to facilitate technology exchange for game developers. Any inquiries on conference content, contact Cecillia Cao: Tel: 86 10 51659355 ext. 12 or via e-mail: cecillia_cao@howellexpo.com CGDC official website: www.chinagdc.com.cn/en.

Comic-Con International is the largest gathering of comic book, science fiction, film and television fans in the nation. Featuring celebrity guests, seminars on breaking into filmmaking and near 24-hour film retrospectives. Comic-Con is the place for fans of all things pop culture. For more information, visit www.comic-con.org.

CG CON 2009 is a new educational conference for creative computer graphic artists and professionals coming in July. Offered as a four-day series that comprises 24 lectures in three different programs: Digital Painting & Concept Art Design, Digital Modeling, and Digital Animation, CG GON 2009 promises something for visual artists at every career level. Guest speakers so far include: -- Ryan Church (STAR WARS EPISODE II, DEAD SPACE game at EA, LORD OF THE RINGS: THE BATTLE FOR MIDDLE EARTH II (EA), TRANSFORMERS 2, STAR TREK) -- Mark Goerner (STAR TREK: ONLINE GAME, X2, MINORITY REPORT, THE TERMINAL, BATTLE ANGEL) -- Neville Page (STAR TREK, CLOVERFIELD, WATCHMEN, AVATAR) -- Scott Robertson (Rockstar Games, Sony Online Entertainment, Buena Vista Games) -- Phil Saunders (MYST 3: EXILE game, F13 game, IRON MAN, SPIDER-MAN 3) -- Christian Lorenz Scheurer (TITANIC, THE MATRIX, WHAT DREAMS MAY COME, THE GOLDEN COMPASS) -- Steambot Studios (ASSASSIN'S CREED game, PRINCE OF PERSIA game, TRON 2) -- Farzad Varahramyan (AVPR: ALIENS VS PREDATOR–REQUIEM, ODDWORLD: Abe's Exodus game) Featuring keynote presentations, one of the largest rosters of special guest presenters, and deep "how-to" exploration and lecture/training into this year's top visual effects and concept design for film, broadcast and game art, CG CON 2009 should be at the top of every CG professionals' and students' list of conferences to attend in 2009. Special feature presentations will reveal exciting, behind-the-scene secrets, anecdotes and footage of some of the year's most exciting projects in film and/or games from the actual artists and producers who worked on them. The CG CON 2009 event is the latest venture of Jean-Eric Henault--the original creator of CG Channel and the Montreal ADAPT 2006 and 2007 Conference, and Diego Rojas, a business entrepreneur with more than 10 years of experience working, volunteering, planning and participating in conferences and events including ACM1, ACM SIGGRAPH and 3D DESIGN Conference. CG CON 2009 Details: Date: July 16-19, 2009 Location: Los Angeles Convention Center, Concourse E, F, Downtown Los Angeles. 1201 South Figueroa Street, Los Angeles, California 90015 Registration: http://www.wantickets.com/cgcon/ Register by March 16 and get up to $50 off the three-day registration price.

Film School Zlin Summer Animation Workshop is an intensive two-week program designed to provide English-speaking participants with an introduction to traditional animation techniques, Czech animation history and Czech culture. Participants do not need any prior experience with animation but we do look in participants the desire to work as part of a creative team and a curiosity to learn about this part of the world. Participants will have the opportunity to observe and experiment with a number of traditional animation techniques including hand-drawn and stop motion (such as cutout and puppet animation) and pixilation. School's experienced teachers and technicians will guide participants individually and as small groups through the complete production process for a short animated project. All film-making areas are covered -- brainstorming story ideas, script and storyboard preparation, how to work with animation materials, timing for animation, lighting, sound design and post-production. At the end of the workshop, each participant departs with a completed DVD of his/her work. In addition to hands-on animation experience, participants will acquire basic knowledge of animation history with a special focus on Czech animation. Short lectures and screenings followed by discussion will guide participants through the major genres of animation history and their most significant films. The workshop also offers participants the opportunity to learn about contemporary and traditional Czech culture through its series of evening and weekend programs and excursions. The workshop will be held at Film School Zlin, located at the historic Zlin Animation Studios in the eastern part of Czech Republic. More than 2,000 films have been made at the Zlin Studios since they opened in 1936. Famous Czechoslovakian Animators Hermina Tyrlova and Karel Zeman created many award-winning, short animated films here including FERDA MRAVENEC (Ferda the Ant) and VANOCNI SEN (Christmas Dream). Participants will have the opportunity to create their own animation in these legendary studios. Anyone over the age of 16 is encouraged to attend.

On July 11th and 12th the Atlanta Motion Graphics Festival showcases explosive artists and motion picture creators. Artists being showcased include: Shepard Fairey, Nine Inch Nails, David Byrne, Chuck D of Public Enemy, KRS-One, Addictive TV, Digital Kitchen, The Mill, Passion Pictures, Animal Logic, Post Panic, Dvein, David Lobser and more. The ATL-MGFest will be hosting workshops and lectures about the shift in motion-picture audiences and explores the new technologies that motion designers will need on the video internet frontier. Motion design, sound design and interactivity, are all featured during July 11th and 12th, with daytime workshops at Atlanta's Adobe Certified Training Facility, Sterling Ledet. Evening screenings and live performances will be hosted at Atlanta's Internationally-renowned portfolio school, Creative Circus. This festival in the fast moving field of design technology has opened its Art & Entertainment events for only $7. Rather than charging the typical $500-$1500 conference fee, the Motion Graphics Festival encourages participants to stop complaining about the economy, and spend their money on something that will upgrade their tools, technique and aesthetics. Software, DVDs and music will be available at a discount rate throughout the festival week. Silent Auction for over $18,000 in software, DVDs and training materials. MGFest Schedule + Registration :http://www.MGFest.com